 | |
| Countries |  Canada |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1966 |
| Folded | 1999 |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Most successful club | Prince George Spruce Kings |
The Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League was a Junior "A" ice hockey league in British Columbia, Canada.
In 1975, the Quesnel Millionaires and Prince George Spruce Kings joined the Peace Junior B Hockey League (PJBHL). The PJBHL already included the Fort St. John Huskies, Dawson Creek Canucks, and Grande Prairie North Stars. Previously, Fort St. John won the Cyclone Taylor Cup as British Columbia Jr. B Champions in 1969 as a member of the Peace Jr. B League. With the expansion, the PJBHL became the Peace-Cariboo Junior Hockey League (PCJHL). The first championship of the new PCJHL was won by Prince George, but Quesnel won the league and the Cyclone Taylor Cup as BC Champions in 1977, 1978, and 1979 and the Grande Prairie North Stars won the Russ Barnes Trophy and Alberta champions in 1976.
In 1980 the PCJHL became a Junior "A" League, one season after the British Columbia Junior Hockey League-Pacific Coast Junior Hockey League merger. The league's most successful team, by far, was the Prince George Spruce Kings. Every season, their playoff champion earned the right to play for the Mowat Cup, the British Columbia Junior "A" Title. The PCJHL/RMJHL was eligible for the Royal Bank Cup, the Junior "A" National Title.
In 1991, the PCJHL doubled in size when it took in a portion of the Jr. B KIJHL and was renamed the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League (RMJHL). The newcomers, which were concentrated in the southern region, formed the Kootenay Division, and the teams in the northern region formed the Peace-Cariboo Division.
In 1995, the Trail Smoke Eaters moved to the British Columbia Hockey League. In 1996, the entire Peace-Cariboo Division departed the league: the Prince George Spruce Kings and Quesnel Millionaires moved to the BCHL, the Grande Prairie Chiefs moved to the AJHL, the Williams Lake Mustangs folded, and the Fort St. John Huskies moved to Hockey Alberta's North West Junior Hockey League. The Castlegar Rebels joined in 1996, but returned to the KIJHL in 1998. The Cranbrook Colts folded in 1998. [1]
The remaining four teams (Creston Valley Thunder, Kimberley Dynamiters, Nelson Leafs, and Fernie Ghostriders) played an interlocking schedule with the AWHL of USA Hockey. In 1999, the RMJHL proposed that the remaining four teams join the BCHL as a "Kootenay Division", however the BCHL rejected the proposal. [1] The league folded after the 1998–99 season. The Creston Valley Thunder and Nelson Leafs moved to the KIJHL, and the Kimberley Dynamiters and Fernie Ghostriders joined the AWHL.
The Mowat Cup was the championship trophy of Junior A hockey in British Columbia. From 1981 to 1999, it was awarded to the winner between the championship team from the RMJHL and the championship team from the BCHL. The winner would then go on to play the AJHL championship team for the Doyle Cup. In the end, the BCHL had a near spotless record against the RMJHL, winning all 19 series with a record 48 wins and 1 loss. In the final year of the competition, the Kimberley Dynamiters recorded the league's only win against a BCHL championship team, namely the Vernon Vipers, before losing the series. The BCHL continued to award the Mowat Cup to itself until 2016. [2]
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From its founding until 1991, the league's champion was awarded the PCJHL Trophy. From 1992 until 1996, the league's champion was awarded the Citizen Cup. From 1997 until 1999, the league's champion was awarded the Subway/Eddie Mountain Trophy.
The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is an independent Canadian Junior ice hockey league with 22 teams in British Columbia and Alberta. It was classified as a Junior "A" league, the second tier for junior hockey within the Hockey Canada framework, until it became independent in 2023. Since becoming independent, the league characterizes itself simply as a Junior ice hockey league.
The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) is a junior ice hockey league in British Columbia, Canada and Washington state, USA sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The winner of the Teck Cup competes with the champions of the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL) and until the 2024/2025 season, the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) for the Cyclone Taylor Cup, the British Columbia Provincial Title.
The Prince George Spruce Kings are a junior ice hockey team based in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Interior Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at the Kopar Memorial Arena, which has a capacity of 2,112. The Spruce Kings won their first Fred Page Cup in the 2018-19 BCHL season.
The Doyle Cup was an ice hockey trophy won through a best-of-7 series conducted annually by the Canadian Junior Hockey League to determine the Pacific region berth in the Centennial Cup, the national Junior A championship. From 1971 to 2021, the series was played between the Fred Page Cup champions of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) and the Enerflex Cup champions of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), except from 2013 to 2017 when it was replaced by the four-province Western Canada Cup. Its future status is uncertain because of format changes to the national championship and the BCHL's withdrawal from the CJHL after the 2020–21 season. The current trophy was donated in 1984 by Pete Doyle, a Penticton, British Columbia businessman, replacing the Pacific Centennial Cup that two leagues competed for from 1971 to 1984.
The Trail Smoke Eaters are a junior A ice hockey team from Trail, British Columbia, Canada. They are a part of the British Columbia Hockey League.
The Grande Prairie Storm is a junior A ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) based in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada, with home games at Bonnetts Energy Centre.
The Spruce Grove Saints are a junior A ice hockey team in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play in Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada, with home games at Grant Fuhr Arena. The team was originally a member of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), but joined the British Columbia Hockey League on February 1, 2024.
The Quesnel Millionaires were a junior "A" ice hockey team based in Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada. They were members of the Interior Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They played their home games at Quesnel Twin Arena. The ownership group accepted an offer from the Chiefs Development group to move them to Chilliwack to play in Prospera Centre as of 2011 which was vacated after the Chilliwack Bruins were sold and moved to Victoria, BC. They are now known as the Chilliwack Chiefs.
The Vernon Vipers are a junior "A" ice hockey team based in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Interior Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at Kal Tire Place.
The Mowat Cup is emblematic of the Junior "A" ice hockey Championship of British Columbia (BC). The winner of the Mowat Cup historically moved on to play the winner of Alberta's Carling O'Keefe Cup for the Doyle Cup, signifying the Canadian Pacific Regions champion.
The Fernie Ghostriders are a Junior 'A' ice hockey team based in Fernie, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Eddie Mountain Division of the Kootenay Conference of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). The Ghostriders play their home games at the Fernie Memorial Arena in Fernie, British Columbia. Barb Anderson is the team's president; Ty Valin is the general manager and coach. They are currently captained by Taylor Haggerty.
The Kimberley Dynamiters are a Junior 'A' Ice Hockey team based in Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Eddie Mountain Division of the Kootenay Conference of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). They play their home games at Kimberley Civic Centre.
The Golden Rockets are a Junior 'A' ice hockey team based in Golden, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Eddie Mountain Division of the Kootenay Conference of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). The Rockets play their home games at Golden Arena, nicknamed the "Plywood Palace". Marko Shehovac is the team's President, Jared Houseman is the General Manager and Coach.
The Princeton Posse are a junior ice hockey team based in Princeton, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Bill Ohlhausen Division of the Okanagan/Shuswap Conference of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). They play their home games at Princeton & District Multipurpose Arena.
The Cranbrook Colts were a Junior "B" and a Junior "A" team in Cranbrook, British Columbia. They were formed in 1970 as a Junior "B" team in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. They were immediately successful, winning the league title in their first four years. The Colts jumped to the Junior "A" Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League in 1991, winning three league titles in their seven years in the league.
Dynamiters or Kimberley Dynamiters may refer to:
The Creston Valley Thunder Cats are a Junior 'A' ice hockey team based in Creston, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Eddie Mountain Division of the Kootenay Conference of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). The Thunder Cats play their home games at Johnny Bucyk Arena. Kelly Everett is the team's president, Bill Rotheisler is the general manager and coach.
The Williams Lake Mustangs was a Junior ice hockey team from Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada from 1978-1996. They were members of the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League.
The Fort St. John Huskies are a Canadian Junior "B" Ice Hockey team based in Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada. They are former members of the Peace-Cariboo Jr. B, Jr. A, and Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League and current members of the Jr. B North West Junior Hockey League of Hockey Alberta.
The Chilliwack Chiefs are a junior hockey team based in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Coastal Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at the Chilliwack Coliseum which was vacated after the Chilliwack Bruins of the Western Hockey League (WHL) were sold and moved to Victoria, where they became known as the Victoria Royals.